Leg muscle exercise apparatus

ABSTRACT

A leg muscle exercising apparatus, including a pair of pads resiliently retained in laterally spaced relation in position for a person using the apparatus to position the pads between his knees and force them together against the resilient force to exercise his leg and groin muscles. A lazy tong device connected to the resilient arms is adapted to engage the user&#39;&#39;s abdomen to enable the user to apply greater resistance to movement of the pads, as desired.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,921,975

Pridgen Nov. 25, 1975 I5 LEG MUSCLE EXERCISE APPARATUS 2,806,699 9/1957 Spooner 272/83 R 3,349,621 10 1967 [76] Inventor: Robert H. Pridgen, l7l4 Summit 3,497,216 211970 2PgZ;:;9N.W., Washington, D.C. 3 759 5 2 9 973 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] led: Sept 1974 952,026 3/1964 United Kingdom 272/83 R [21] Appl. No.: 503,994

Related Us. Application Data Przmury ExammerPaul E. Shapiro [62] lgglgsgosnggf Ser. No. 396,335, Oct. ll, 1973, Pat. No. [57] ABSTRACT A leg muscle exercising apparatus, including a pair of 52 U.S. c1 272/83 R P resiliently retained in laterally Spaced relation in 51 1m. (:1. ..1 A63B 21/32 Position for a Person using the apparatus to Position [58] Field of Search 273/83 R, 83 A, 82, 67, the P between his knees and force them together 273/68 against the resilient force to exercise his leg and groin muscles. A lazy tong device connected to the resilient [56] References Cited arms is adapted to engage the user's abdomen to en- UNITED STATES PATENTS able the user to apply greater resistance to movement of the ads, as desired. 2,132,862 10/1938 Pilates 272/83 R p 2,529,347 ll/l950 Mohler et al. 272/83 R 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 3,921,975

LEG MUSCLE EXERCISE APPARATUS This is a division, of application Serial No. 396,335, filed Oct. ll, 1973 now US. Pat. No. 3,863,894.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention 1 This invention relates to exercise apparatus, and more particularly to an exercise device especially useful for athletes to exercise weak or injured thigh, ham-' string and groin muscles.

2. Description of the Prior Art Numerous devices have been developed for assisting in the forced exercise of the leg muscles, and particularly of the upper leg and groin muscles. Such devices are frequently employed by athletesto promote rapid recovery from injured muscles. Conventionally, these prior art devices are intended to apply a force tothe leg tending to stretch the muscles by the forced lifting .or bending of the legs at the hip joint. i

One prior art device for exercising the legs is .illustrated in a US. patent. This device employs a harness consisting of a system of cords and pulleys toenable a person to use the arm muscles, while lying in a prone position, to stretch the leg muscles. This is accomplished by applying force with the arms to lift the legs and pull themtoward the users head as he lies ;on his back. In this device, all of the force appliedto or by the legs must be derived from or resisted by thearms, and is very fatiguing because of the awkward position required of the arms. In theuse of this prior art device, it is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately estimate the amount of force applied. This is particularly important when intentionally stretching an injured muscle because of the risk of inflicting greater injury. Further, neither this nor other prior art devices of which applinected to a harness including a cord extending over a pulley positioned above and behind his head. The weights employed are located below the pulleys and are attached to a cord extending over a second pulley to a position to be grasped by the athletes hands. The apparatus includes a frame adapted to be positioned directly on the floor or upon an exercise table, as desired.

The apparatus also includes a hairpin-shaped spring member having outwardly projecting pads on the distal cant is aware has made adequate provision for exercis- 7 ing the groin muscles which frequently become injured in strenuous athletic contests such as football. Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved leg muscle exercising apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the attainment of the foregoing and other objects, an important feature of the present invention resides in the use of movable-weights to apply a direct load to the leg to thereby exercise the hamstring andthigh muscles. This is accomplished by providing means for lifting fixed weights with the arms by use .of a pulley and cord attached to the weights, then releasing the cord held in the hand to permit the wieghts to apply a force, through a secord cord and harness assembly, to' the leg. The device may use a one-way clutchto shift the weight from the cord held by the athlete s hand to the cord and a harness attached to the leg, thereby assuring-relaxation of the leg muscles during the lifting of-the weights. The

apparatus is used while the athlete is lying. in a supine position with the leg to be exercised raised and conends of the spring which are adapted to be positioned between the athletes legs, while in a sitting position, with the pads engaging the legs in the vicinity of the knee. While in the sitting position, the athlete moves his legs toward and away from one another against the resistance of the spring member, and the extent of the force or resistance of the spring is varied by a lazy tong attachment including a bumper member which engages the athletesabdomen enabling him to exert force resisting the closing movement of the pads on the spring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exercising apparatus according to the present invention, with the groin muscle exercising portion removed and with the manner of using theapparatus to exercise the hamstring and thigh muscles being illustrated by a person shown in phantom;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged,,exploded, fragmentary view of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary view of the weight members shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating use of the apparatus to exercise the groin muscles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings in detail, the exercise apparatus according to the present invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 and includes a frame having a horizontal base portion 12 and an upwardly inclined stanchion or head portion 14. The frame is preferably made up of a length of steel tubing bent and welded into the desired configuration with the generally. rectangular base portion 12 supporting a resilient pad or mattress 16 upon which a person lies while using the apparatus. A pair of leg restraining straps 18, 20 are provided, one at each side of the base portion 12 of the frame, adjacent the lower end thereof, for restraining one leg, if desired or necessary, while exercising the other leg.

As best seen in FIG. 1, the head portion 14 of the frame consists of a pair of legs 18, 20 inclined upwardly and away from the head of the user and joined at their apex in an arcuate section 22. A horizontal structural angle member 24 extends between and is rigidly welded to the legs 18, 20, near the base thereof, and a second horizontal structural member in the form of a flat bar 26 extends between the legs 18, 20 at a point spaced substantially above the angle 24. A pair of elongated guide rods 28, 30 are slidably received in spaced openings in the bar 26 and angle 24, and a plurality of weights 32, preferably in the form of rectangular steel bars, are slidably mounted on the rods 28, 30 and normally rest on the angle member 24.

A shaft 34 is mounted on and extends between legs 18, at a position above the bar 26 and rotatably supports a one-way clutch assembly 36. Clutch assembly 36 comprises a pair of pulleys 38, 40 supported on the shaft 34 in close, face-to-face relation with a plurality of spherical balls 42 mounted therebetween in tapered arcuate grooves 44 on the face of pulley 40. These elements are shown in FIG. 2 in an expanded condition to more clearly illustrate the operation of the device, it being understood that the pulleys 38, 40 are normally resiliently urged toward one another and retained in closely spaced relation as illustrated in FIG. 1. The structure and operation of the one-way clutch is conventional except that the basic elements (pulleys) have a groove formed around their outer periphery for receiving and guiding a cord thereover.

A first cord 46 is positioned in the groove 48 of the pulley 38 and extends downwardly therefrom through an elongated slot 50 in the bar 26 to have its lower end attached to an elongated flat bar 52. The bar 52 has a plurality of apertures 54 formed therein at spaced positions along its length to receive a pin 56 which is adapted to extend through a horizontal opening 58 in the weights 32 to thereby releasably attach one or more of the weights to the bar 54. As seeen in FIG. 3, the weights have elongated vertical slots 60 extending downwardly through the central portion to admit the end of the bar 52 so that, when the pin 56 is in position, pulling of the cord 46 in the direction of arrow 62 (FIG. 2) will cause the weights attached to the bar 54 to slide upwardly along the guide pins 28, 30.

A second cord 66 is positioned within a groove 68 in the pulley 40 and has one end fixed, as at 70, to the pulley. The other end of cord 66 is attached, by suitable connector means 72 to a pair of cords 74, 76 adapted to be connected, through a hook 78 to a collar 80 adapted to fit around the ankle of the person using the device. An adjustable bar 82 extends between the cords 74, 76 for adjusting, within limits, the length of the harness assembly as desired.

In order to use the device, a person positions himself in a supine position on the pad 16 and positions the collar 80 over the leg to be exercised. If desired, the other leg may be held down by the straps 18, 20. The person then grasps the free end of the cord 46 and pulls,-rotat-- ing the pulley 38 of the one-way clutch 36 to lift the attached weight 32. The spherical balls 42 permit free rotation of the pulley 38 relative to the pulley 40 in the direction of arrow 62. Upon lifting the weight 32 to the desired height, normally into contact with the bar 26, the user then releases the cord 46 and the weight tends to rotate the pulley 38 counterclockwise. The spherical balls 42 immediately become wedged in the tapered grooves 44 to lock the pulley 40 to the pulley 38 so that any downward movement of the weight 32, acting through the clutch assembly 36 and cord 66, will pull the attached leg upward, applying a known, predetermined force to the leg stretching the thigh and hamstring muscles. As the weight slides down the guide rods 28, 30, thereby pulling the users leg upward a fixed, predetermined distance, the cord 46 will also be returned to its original position. If desired, after the weight has fully receded, the leg can be left in this position for a short time or, alternatively, the arm can then be used to again lift the weight by pulling on the cord then moves hislegstogether against the resilient ,force 46. In this case, since the leg is initially in a strained position, the pulley 40 will be rotated with the pulley 38 by the weight of the leg as applied through the cord 66. To prevent dropping the leg too low, and to always apply the same force and stretching action to the leg muscles, a stop member 84 on pulley 40 is positioned to engage a rigid stop 86 on the frame 12. Thus, when the leg is lowered to the point that the two stops are in contact, any additional movement lifting the weight will result only in the pulley 38 being rotated.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, it is seen that, at the foot end of the frame 12, a socket 90 is rigidly mounted, as by a bracket 92 on the tubular frame member 94. Socket 90 is adapted to telescopingly receive and support the lower end of a rigid post member 96 which, in turn, acts as a pivot and support for a groin muscle exercising spring assembly 98.

The groin muscle exercising apparatus consists of an elongated spring rod member 100 bent into a generally V-shaped configuration with a single coil 102 at the apex of the V joining the two legs 104, 106, with the coil 102 being adapted to be received over the upwardly projecting end of the post 96. The distal ends of the rods 104, 106 have mounted thereon a pair of resilient pads 108, 110 respectively adapted to engage the inside portion of the users thighs near the knees when the user is in a sitting position with his legs outstretched and wide-spread. The opposed arms 104, 106 each have a bracket 112 mounted on their inwardly directed surfaces, and a pair of bars 114 have one end mounted, respectively, on the brackets 110. The bars 114 each have their other end pivotally connected to a third bar 116 which, in turn, is connected to a padded, curved bumpermember 118 adapted to engage the abdomen of the person using the device.

To exercise the groin muscles employing this apparams, the user positions himself either on the pad 16 or on the floor facing the apparatus in the sitting position as illustrated in phantom in FIG. 4. With the legs spread wide apart and outstretched, the pads 108, 110 are compressed together slightly and positioned between the thighs adjacent the knees so that the spring member 100 resiliently urges the legs to the wide-spread position. At thesame time, the pad 118 is positioned against theabdomen and the user may grasp the up wardly extending end of the post 96 in his hands. He

of the spring arms 104,106 to exercise the groin muscles. Movement of the pads 108, 110 toward one another actuates the lazy tong-like bars 114, 116, pushing the pad 118 more firmly against the users abdomen,

thereby increasing the resistance of the spring as the legs are moved more closely together. If it is desired to apply greater force tending to spread the pads 108, 1 10, the user can pull with his arms on the post 96. Similarly, the force applied through the lazy tong assembly .can readily be varied, within limits, by flexing or other movement of the abdomen. The procedure is repeated as many times as necessary to adequately exercise the groin muscles.

It is apparent that various modifications of the abovedescribed apparatus could readily be made without departing from the true nature of the invention. For example, coil springs or the like could readily be substituted for the illustrated weights for applying the force to the cord 66, and resilient spring means or stop means could be employed in place of the lazy tong mechanism for varying the force required to compress or deflect the spring member 100. Accordingly, while I have disclosed and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 wish it understood that I do not intend to be restricted solely thereto, but that I do intend to include all embodiments thereof which would be apparent to one skilled in the art and which come within the spirit and scope of my invention.

1 claim:

1. A leg muscle exercising apparatus comprising, in combination, a pair of elongated bars joining together at one end in a generally V-shaped configuration, resilient spring means urging said bars away from one another, a pair of leg-engaging members mounted one on each said bar adjacent the free ends thereof in opposed relation to one another and in position to engage the opposed inner portions of a users legs when in a sitting position and having his out-stretched legs spread wide apart, said leg-engaging members being adapted to be pushed toward one another by the force of the users legs against the resilient force of said spring and to resiliently urge said users legs back to their wide spread position, and an articulated lever mechanism operable by the user for selectively increasing the resistance of said spring, said lever mechanism including arm means engaging each of said opposed bars intermediate their respective ends, and actuating means engaging the users torso and operably connected with said arm means for applying an outward force to said -bars to thereby increase the resistance to defection thereof toward one another,

2. The leg muscle exercising apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a frame, an elongated upwardly extending pivot post on said frame and means on said bars and spring means for pivotally supporting said spring member on said post.

3. The leg muscle exercising apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said leg-engaging members comprise resilient pads mounted one on each of the free ends of each said bar and positioned to engage the users thighs adjacent his knees.

4. A leg muscle exercising apparatus comprising, in combination, an elongated resilient spring member in the form of an elongated bar formed into a generally V-shaped configuration, a pair of leg-engaging members mounted in opposed relation one on each end of said bar in position to engage the opposed inner portions of a users legs when in a sitting position and having his outstretched legs spread wide apart, said legengaging members being adapted to be pushed toward one another by the force of the users legs against the resilient force of said spring and to resiliently urge said users legs back to their wide spread position, and means manually operable by the person using the apparatus for selectively increasing the resistance of said spring while using the apparatus to exercise his legs. 

1. A leg muscle exercising apparatus comprising, in combination, a pair of elongated bars joining together at one end in a generally V-shaped configuration, resilient spring means urging said bars away from one another, a pair of leg-engaging members mounted one on each said bar adjacent the free ends thereof in opposed relation to one another and in position to engage the opposed inner portions of a user''s legs when in a sitting position and having his out-stretched legs spread wide apart, said leg-engaging members being adapted to be pushed toward one another by the force of the user''s legs against the resilient force of said spring and to resiliently urge said user''s legs back to their wide spread position, and an articulated lever mechanism operable by the user for selectively iNcreasing the resistance of said spring, said lever mechanism including arm means engaging each of said opposed bars intermediate their respective ends, and actuating means engaging the user''s torso and operably connected with said arm means for applying an outward force to said bars to thereby increase the resistance to defection thereof toward one another.
 2. The leg muscle exercising apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a frame, an elongated upwardly extending pivot post on said frame and means on said bars and spring means for pivotally supporting said spring member on said post.
 3. The leg muscle exercising apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said leg-engaging members comprise resilient pads mounted one on each of the free ends of each said bar and positioned to engage the user''s thighs adjacent his knees.
 4. A leg muscle exercising apparatus comprising, in combination, an elongated resilient spring member in the form of an elongated bar formed into a generally V-shaped configuration, a pair of leg-engaging members mounted in opposed relation one on each end of said bar in position to engage the opposed inner portions of a user''s legs when in a sitting position and having his outstretched legs spread wide apart, said leg-engaging members being adapted to be pushed toward one another by the force of the user''s legs against the resilient force of said spring and to resiliently urge said user''s legs back to their wide spread position, and means manually operable by the person using the apparatus for selectively increasing the resistance of said spring while using the apparatus to exercise his legs. 